Premature born or ill infant is spending significant time after his or her birth in sophisticated patient care apparatus in a hospital. Patient care apparatus, such as incubators, are used to provide a special, tightly controlled environment for premature infants in the hospital. An incubator for an infant provides conditions for special care and protects the infant from infections. The U.S. Pat. No. 3,610,716 describes an isolator crib bank having a module for filtering air delivered to ganged cribs for neonates. This invention teaches an isolator crib bank for use in the hospital. The isolator crib bank is bulky, energy consuming and can be used only in hospital environment. After releasing from the hospital premature infants may require special care because they are very sensitive to infections and very often experienced serious, life threatening complications after contracting respiratory infections.
Conventional apparatus for caring for infants after releasing from the hospital provide support for infant body, and means for preventing an infant, from falling out. Among these conventional apparatuses for caring for infants are different types of cribs and bouncers. There are number of apparatus for caring for infants, such as cribs, and bouncers which provide safe and comfortable positioning of the infant. The U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,534 discloses a safety pad or mattress such as for use in a crib, which prevents sudden infant death syndrome by ensuring an oxygenated breathing space for the infant. According to this patent, an embedded air tube is interconnected with an air pump which circulates fresh, i.e., oxygenated, air in the breathing space of the infant. While the U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,534 teaches a pad or a mattress which prevents sudden infant dead syndrome, it does not teach a prevention of an infant from disease contracted from airborne infections.
The U.S. Pat. No. 7,404,219 discloses portable infant bed with side wall ventilation. The side wall has a vent positioned at a level near the sleeping surface, the vent permitting air to pass freely through the side wall. While the U.S. Pat. No. 7,404,219 teaches an infant bed with improved passage of air across the child sleeping surface, it does not teach an infant bed protecting an infant from airborne infections.
These conventional apparatus for caring for infants, where the infant spends most of his or her time, lack of means for protection of the infant from contracting respiratory infections.
There are a number of means which reduce risk of contracting of airborne infection in adults. Among these means are different types of masks and protective gear. The U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,941,949; 6,945,249; 4,488,547 disclosed the examples of face masks.
The disadvantage of known protective masks and protective gear is that they cannot be used in infants because they have resistance to breathing, create uncomfortable feeling, sense of isolation from the environment, and could be dangerous to infants.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to teach the apparatus for caring for infants preventing from contracting respiratory infections.
Accordingly, there is presently a need for an apparatus for caring for infants that reduces or eliminates some of the risks associated with respiratory infections.
The present invention has been developed in response to the problems and needs in the present state of art that have not yet been solved by currently available apparatus for caring for infants. Accordingly, the present invention has been developed to provide an apparatus for caring for infants protecting an infant from airborne infections.